Flint Generals (IHL, 1982-83)

1982-83 Regular Season
Generals vs. Milwaukee Admirals

      The Flint Generals were in their fourteenth season of play in the International Hockey League. The team was coming off a forgettable 1981-82 season, which saw the team finish sixth in the seven-team IHL, with a 32-45-5 record, the most losses in franchise history. The Generals did still make the playoffs, a feat that the franchise accomplished every season after 1969-70. Longtime IHL coach Ted Garvin was back as Head Coach/GM. The team continued to play it's home games at the 4,021-seat IMA Sports Arena.

     The IHL was back to a 4-team, 2-division setup in 1982-83, with the arrival of the Peoria Prancers. Flint was placed in the Eastern Division. The Generals improved on their 1981-82 record by finishing 35-36-11. Their 81 points were good enough for third place in the East, 11 ahead of last-place Saginaw, yet 31 behind first-place Toledo. 

     Flint had the second-worst offense in the IHL, mustering just 317 goals (six ahead of Kalamazoo). Boston Bruins prospect Tony Fiore led the team in scoring, scoring a then city record 66 goals to go along with 110 points. Fiore would go on to a long career, spending 11 seasons in Italy. Second-year player Bernie Gallant was next in offense, scoring 31 goals and 60 points. Terry McDougal (32), Remi Gagne (30) and Dave Stoyanovich (35) were the other Generals with over 30 goals. Two veteran IHL forwards, Len Fontaine (21 goals, 58 points) and Dennis Desrosiers (26 goals, 46 points) played the final seasons of their career. Another notable player on the Generals is Peter Horachek, in his first season in Flint. Horachek scored 27 goals and 55 points in 51 games, and would spend the rest of his playing career in Flint and Saginaw. He would later go on to a long coaching career, which included coaching the Colonial League Flint Generals and interim coaching stints with the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. 

     The Generals were much stronger on defense, allowing 340 goals, third-fewest in the IHL. The team would use three different goaltenders that year. Montreal Canadiens prospect Steve Penney played in the most games, appearing in 48 and register a 4.21 GAA. Rick Knickle was in goal for 28 games, registering a 3.32 GAA with two shutouts. Lastly, Sabres prospect Jari Paavola appeared in 15 games with a 5.40 GAA in his final season in North America.  Both Knickle and Penney would eventually make the NHL. Penney would join the Canadiens in 1983-84 in time for the playoffs, and, thanks to Jacques Plante's tutelage, would lead the Canadiens on a Cinderella run to the Wales Conference Finals. Knickle would spend about a decade in the minor leagues, mostly in the IHL, until playing 14 games with the Los Angeles Kings from 1992-94. Mark Robinson was the leading scorer on the Generals' blueline, scoring 4 goals and 45 points in 82 games.

     A typical Ted Garvin-coached team emphasized toughness, and could rack up the penalty minutes. The 1982-83 Generals were no different, piling up 1,837 minutes, most in the IHL. Leading the march to the penalty box was Floyd Lahache, with 271 minutes in 72 games. Former Saginaw Gear and Port Huron Flag Rick Dorman was next, with 255 minutes. Ray Markham (176), Dennis Desrosiers (170), and Remi Gagne (159) were the other Generals with over 150 PIM. 

     The Generals faced the Fort Wayne Komets in the opening round of the Turner Cup Playoffs. Fort Wayne finished second in the East with a 45-26-11 record, 21 points ahead of Flint. The series was a best-of-five format, and it went the distance. In a back-and-forth series, the Komets advanced with a 4-3 win in Game 5. The Komets would then get brushed aside by the Toledo Goaldiggers in 5 games (best-of-seven), who would go on to win their second-straight Turner Cup. 

     This is a 38-page program, mostly in black and white, with a nice drawing on the front of a goalmouth battle between the Generals and Kalamazoo Wings. It starts off with a welcome letter from Ted Garvin, discussing the NHL affiliates and the development of the nucleus of this season's roster. He also declared the Generals needed the fans' help, by supporting the team at the IMA and following road games on WTRX. Longtime Flint Journal writer Len Hoyes is back with his "Hoyes on Hockey" article, discussing where he thought the Generals would finish in the IHL standings. 

This program is from the Saturday, March 26, 1983, game between the Generals and Milwaukee Admirals. No idea who won this game. Here's the Generals' roster for that night. As stated earlier, the Generals were strong in net, with both goaltenders eventually making it to the NHL. Center Terry McDougall was an 11-year veteran of the IHL, spending most of his career with the Fort Wayne Komets. Terry was a member of the 1973-74 Turner Cup champion Des Moines Capitols. Defenseman Pierre Thibault started the season with the ACHL's Schenectady Chiefs, who folded just nine games into the season, before finishing the year with the Generals. Pierre would play the last three years of his career in Flint, and was a member of the 1983-84 Turner Cup champions. "Battleship" Bob Phillips would be featured in an unflattering CBC The Journal report about the International Hockey League, being referred to as a "gypsy defenseman". In 1981-82, Bob would be one of nine Generals that would storm into the Wender Arena stands to confront an unruly fan. Phillips would play parts of two seasons with the Generals before finishing the 1982-83 season with the ACHL's Erie Golden Blades (his last year in pro hockey).

     The Milwaukee Admirals finished in first place in the West Division, with a 43-30-9 record, 22 points ahead of second-place Kalamazoo. The Admirals were led by Head Coach/GM Phil Whitliff, a Port Huron native who would spend 25 seasons in Milwaukee, first as a player and then in the front office. On defense is Jim Bannatyne, in his fifteenth season of pro hockey, almost all in the IHL. Jim was a member of the 1975-76 Turner Cup champion Dayton Gems, and also served as captain of the Port Huron Flags for four seasons. Bannatyne would score 5 goals and 59 points in 79 games, his last full season in hockey. He would later have a banner raised to the rafters at McMorran Arena in Port Huron. Center Dave Yakiwchuk was the leading scorer for the 1982-83 Admirals, with 38 goals and 138 points in 79 games. He would spend most of his pro career in Milwaukee, along with two seasons in Kalamazoo.  Center Fred Berry, former Red Wings draft pick, would play seven seasons with the Admirals. 1982-83 was his best season, scoring 47 goals and 12 points in 71 games. Rich Sirois was the top net minder for the Admirals, playing in 59 games with a 32-19-8 record and 3.59 GAA. Defenseman Derek Davis would lead the team with 313 PIM in 79 games.

     Advertisements include Stroh Light, WKNX AM 1210, Southmoor Country Club, Al Serra Chevrolet, the Eastland Mall (now Courtland Center), and WNEM TV5 (then an NBC affiliate). Car advertisements include the 1983 Buick Century and the 1983 Chevrolet Cavalier station wagon.

BONUS: Here's the video of CBC The Journal's report of the International Hockey League and the Flint Generals. Reporter Tom Alderman is a bit dramatic here, basically clutching his pearls over the "perils" young Canadians faced playing in such a "shaky" minor league circuit. The IHL wasn't glorious back then, but it wasn't a horror show either. Check out his eyes early in the report--it's as if he's being held hostage. Regardless, there are some great highlights of early 1980s IHL hockey, including the Generals, Kalamazoo Wings, Toledo Goaldiggers and Saginaw Gears. Bob Phillips, Dennis Desrosiers, Ted Garvin and Peter Horachek are all interviewed.

Aftermath: Ted Garvin would be let go after this season, replaced by forward Dennis Desrosiers. Desrosiers would spend most the 1983-84 season putting the Generals together. The team would get red hot toward the end of the 1983-84 season, then sweep aside both Milwaukee and defending champ Toledo to win Flint's first, and only, Turner Cup championship. After the 1984-85 season, the Flint Generals would relocate to Saginaw, Michigan.